Two men facing attempted murder charges following house fires named

A Court Reporter

Two men have been remanded in custody accused of a double murder bid after two houses in Glenrothes were allegedly targeted in suspicious fires.

A 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was seriously injured in the incidents in Alexander Road and Adrian Road, in the Auchmuty area of the town, on Tuesday last week.

Naveed Iqbal and James Simpson appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Monday, each facing two charges of attempted murder.

A 22-year-old woman arrested along with the pair was released from custody and did not appear in court.

Iqbal (34), of Leven, and Simpson (61), of Falkirk, appeared separately in private on petition facing two charges each of attempted murder.

Neither made any plea or declaration and their cases were continued for further examination.

Both men were remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing next week.

A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “The Procurator Fiscal received a report concerning a 22-year-old female, in connection with alleged incidents in Glenrothes on March 28, 2017.

“After full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, she was liberated from custody pending further inquiries and did not appear in court.”

Two houses were allegedly hit in the space of ten minutes, first at 11.30pm on Alexander Road then the property on Adrian Road around 10 minutes later.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham said: “This incident is being treated as attempted murder and showed a blatant disregard for the safety of a number of people and children within the local community.

“There is a significant resource from local and national policing dedicated to this investigation and we are progressing several positive lines of enquiry.

“There is absolutely no doubt that this fire could have potentially been fatal as there were several people within both properties at the time.”